


Trial by Water

by KineticJellyfish



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Coming of Age, Drowning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mentors, Rescue, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23023744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KineticJellyfish/pseuds/KineticJellyfish
Summary: Plato is a young Tom with something to prove, eager to show his elders that he's more than capable of holding his own amongst the adults of the Tribe.When a decision he makes puts not only his own life in grave danger, but also the life of the one he idolizes most, how will everyone handle the aftermath?(edited, still the same story, but all my glaring mistakes are now fixed, I think)
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger
Comments: 17
Kudos: 96





	Trial by Water

**Author's Note:**

> This is for http://terpsichorian.tumblr.com who had a little idea of Maine Coons loving water and being good swimmers and it reminded me of this oneshot I wrote while taking a break from Reforged Brotherhood.
> 
> Here's hoping you enjoy it!

It came almost overnight, the sky turning a murky grey, the sound of rumbling thunder off in the distance, sending many a cat running for their homes, or for the shelter of their dens for those without the security of a human.

The entire tribe had been bristling, anticipating the great storm that was fast approaching, perhaps faster than they thought. Preparations had barely begun when the Heaviside Layer opened up and brought forth a torrent of rain, so heavy they were soaked to their skin in seconds. Though it didn't stop the tribe from trying to protect their own and their home.

Several Toms were down in the rising water, digging out channels underneath the trash piles of their junkyard home, trying to divert flood waters away from the lower dens. It was dirty work, they were soaking wet, cold, miserable, but they were happy to do it. Admetus, Tumblebrutus, Alonzo, Pouncival, Plato, even the Rum Tum Tugger himself, were working tirelessly to divert the water and protect their dens.

The Guardian was right down with them, throwing scrap from a tunnel he had dug out, darting out when he broke through to the other side, the water gushing out. "Keep it up, Jellicles!" Munkustrap had to shout over the deluge to be heard, a thunderclap echoing far above them. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can dry off!"

A rallying cry answered him as he climbed up another pile to check the other side. Admetus ran to another tunnel as soon as he finished his own, crouching in front of it, "How's it coming?"

"I hit a wall!" Plato was deep into the tunnel, pulling and pushing at planks of wood that were stuck fast, "I can't move these! Give me a paw!"

Admetus got down on all paws and crept in after him, both of them grabbing at the planks and pushing with all their might, but the wood wouldn't budge. "Damn it..! Of all the times! I'll get something to pry them loose!"

He backed out, Plato stayed, examining the junk heap in front of him. There had to be a way to break through, around the wood. There were four dens on the other side of this junk heap, one of them belonging to Jennyanydots and Jellylorum. They couldn't afford to allow it to flood, not with sick Queens and Kittens taking residence there, he had to do something.

Tumblebrutus was suddenly at the entrance to the tunnel, he looked thoroughly miserable, wet brown and cream fur plastered to his body. "Plato! Munkus said head to higher ground! The flooding is too fast! Let's go!"

"I'll be right there, I just need to move a few things!" Plato started digging down, under the planks, throwing bits of garbage behind him. He needed more time, he could break through and save those dens, he knew he could!

"Plato!" Alonzo had come, sending Tumble away, "You heard Munk, let's go! Stop digging!"

"No, I can finish!" He was almost through, the water was starting to seep in, he was so close, just a minute more!

There were suddenly claws on his hip and back leg, yanking and dragging him back, pulling him out of the tunnel and into the rain, "Are you crazy!? When Munk gives an order, you follow those orders! Go to higher ground, before the flooding gets worse!"

Sudden anger flashed through Plato, a hot shame that welled up in his chest. "I'm not a damn kitten anymore! I can help still! If you had just given me an extra minute or two-"

"We don't have a minute! I don't know if you've noticed but it's pissing rain right now! Kitten or not, Munk said everyone goes! You want to drown!? Get to higher ground, now!"

"But I can do this! Jenny's den is over there!"

Something creaked loudly above them, both of the Toms going still as they looked up at the trash pile. A large, soft plastic container at the top of the pile was bowing, filled to the brim with water. Plato's ears pinned back. "Alonzo..?"

The black and white patched Tom didn't even get a chance to reply, the container buckled, splitting open, bringing down a waterfall above their heads. "MOVE!"

Alonzo shoved Plato ahead of him, both Toms taking off at a run, but the water crashed behind them, sweeping them off their feet and dragging them both along the ground. Alonzo swung his paw out, grabbing Plato by the wrist as they were washed away. "Grab something! Anything!"

Plato spat out water as he scrambled to find purchase, to grab passing debris to hold onto, but he couldn't get a handhold, they were moving too fast.

The Junkyard was at a slight incline by design, with walls that were intentionally channeling toward one corner of the yard, a corner all cats were forbidden by Munkustrap and Old Deuteronomy from ever going close to.

Why? Because of the "hole", a normally grate covered storm drain that was dilapidated, neglected by the Junkyard's human caretakers. The grate itself was half broken, rusted and hanging off it's hinges. Any cat unlucky enough to be sucked in would end up in the "river", a steep stone channel that carried runoff water away from the yard and into the forest beyond. Alonzo and Plato were now rapidly being drawn toward it.

Alonzo pulled Plato close to himself as they came closer to the drain. "Hold on!"

He twisted and slammed into the rusted grate with a sharp cry of pain, his paw hooking around one of the bars, bringing them to a stop. The water was gushing around them, threatening to drag them down into the drain. He held on as tight as he could, his other paw gripping Plato's wrist, the young Tom halfway into the pipe. He couldn't see Plato anymore, the water churned up and murky. The only reassurance Alonzo had he was still there was the grip he had on his wrist.

Something struck Alonzo from behind, debris carried by the water that shoved him farther against the grate. He let out a scream, the rusted metal digging into his chest and drawing blood.

Someone called his name and the debris was shoved aside. A set of paws hooked under his arms and dragged him up and onto the pipe. It was only then Alonzo realized that Plato's weight had vanished.

"What happened!?" Munkustrap pulled the struggling Tom out of the water, having heard his cries, Admetus by his side.

"Plato! Plato went down the pipe!"

A brief look of horror passed over Admetus' face, but Munkustrap was up in an instant. "Over the fence! NOW! Get down to the river! Find him!"

The river itself was raging, like angry rapids in a deep canyon. All three cats hauled themselves over the fence and ran along the edge, searching for their lost tribe mate.

"Do you see him!?" Alonzo called over to the other two.

Admetus had run ahead of them, "No! Nothing!" He called back.

Munkustrap leaned over the edge, scanning the water, his eyes intense as he searched for any movement, any sign. It didn't take him long to spot a flash of white and red fur. "There!"

He was on his feet then, sprinting down the length of the river. "Get ahead of him! Don't let him out of your sight!"

This was it, Plato thought, this was how he was going to die. Cold, wet, barely able to catch his breath as the rapids dragged him under, over and over again. He could feel himself bouncing off things hidden in the water, his body flailing uselessly, trying to find which way was up. His head broke above the water and he sucked in a desperate breath. "PLATO!"

His eyes opened, he saw Admetus ahead of him, leaning down into the channel, "Plato, grab my paw!"

He kicked his legs frantically, trying harder to get closer. He jerked out his own paw as he reached Admetus, touching him briefly, but he was ripped away by the current. Admetus jumped up with a curse, taking off after him as Munkustrap ran ahead.

Plato was in a panic now, crying out to his tribe mates as he was sucked back under the water again, unable to take in a breath. He let out a burst of bubbles from his mouth as he felt something rather large hit the water next to him, terror telling him to get away from it. But a pair of paws wrapped around his waist, dragging him back to the surface. "I got you, Kit..!"

That voice, deep and loud, one Plato instantly recognized, "T-Tugger..!?"

Plato couldn't believe it. He had jumped in after him? On purpose!? "Swim! For the love of the Everlasting, kick your damn legs!"

Tugger was bigger than Plato, and a much stronger swimmer than he was. With both their bodies working in sync they managed to make their way to the edge of the river, Tugger scrambling to get some kind of hand-hold on the smooth, wet stones. Another paw caught his, a cry of strain as they stopped. Munkustrap was half hanging off the ledge, Alonzo holding his hips, the Guardian struggling to hold onto both Tugger and Plato's weight. "What the HELL were you thinking, Tugger!?"

"Worry about me later!" He dragged Plato up his body, trying to pass his paw off to Munkustrap. "Grab him!"

Munkustrap reached out his other arm, trying to grab the younger, terrified Tom, their claws nearly touching when Tugger froze, his eyes turned up the river. Debris from the yard had fallen into the water...and it was rapidly approaching. "Straps, let go!"

"What!? Are you crazy!? Pull yourself up!"

Plato kept reaching, desperately trying to grab Munkustrap's paw, to get out of the water, "Please..!"

"There's no time, Straps! Let go!" Claws were suddenly unsheathed, and Munkustrap recoiled with a cry as they were raked across his arm, forcing him to let them go back into the current. "NO!"

Plato howled in fear, Tugger coiling his arms around him and holding him close. "Listen to me! Don't let go of me, no matter what you do! When I tell you to you take in a deep breath and you hold it! Do you hear me?"

"Tugger, please..!"

"You have to trust me, Kit! Trust me!"

Plato's bright yellow eyes met Tugger's golden brown. Fear told him to fight, to claw and bite and kick, but he knew Tugger. He knew he wouldn't let anything happen to him. He did trust him, so he nodded, holding him tightly. He could hear it, the approaching falls, like a roar in his ears. "Okay, Kit! Deep breath!!"

Plato took it in and braced himself, closing his eyes, clutching tighter to the older Tom. They were suddenly airborne, the wind whipping past his ears.

Falling...

And they struck the water below the falls with a crash.

Munkustrap and Alonzo were still following, skidding to a halt before the falls. "TUGGER! PLATO!"

Munkustrap called down their names, pricking his ears, but he heard nothing but raging water. "Damn it!" His paw struck the stone in anger as he jumped back up, rounding on Alonzo, absolute fury in his voice, "Run back and collect the others! Grab Pounce, he has the best nose of all of us! We need to find them, now!"

***

The river was finally calming, the water spread out enough to ease the rapids down into a gentle stream. Tugger coughed hard, dragging himself out of the water, fur soaked through. He pulled Plato along behind him, the young Tom was limp, unconscious.

"Come on, Kit, don't do this..." He pulled Plato fully out of the water and put an ear to his chest. A heart beat... But no breath. "Damn it! Don't quit now!"

He hauled Plato over his back, bending him over his shoulder, allowing gravity to work for him, and he slammed his paw over and over again between Plato's shoulder blades, his other paw striking at his ribs. "Breathe, damn it!!"

A gurgle sounded from Plato, and he suddenly twitched and spasmed, expelling a bunch of water from his mouth, sucking in a rattling breath and coughing hard. "That's it, breathe..."

He shifted Plato, pulling him against his front, slapping his back a few more times for good measure. Plato was shaking, coughing and clutching at himself, at Tugger's paws, the larger Tom finally falling backwards to rest in the mud, the adrenaline wearing off. He was suddenly very tired. "Everlasting, Kit... That was a hell of a ride."

Plato was breathing easier now, resting on his back, head on Tugger's stomach, clutching at the paw resting on his chest. He was so tired, his body ached, he drifted back off as Tugger pulled him closer. He wasn't sure how long they laid there, Tugger had run out of energy, too tired himself to move.

"I found them! Guys, I found them!"

Pouncival sprinted over and slid down next to them both, soaked to the bone, filthy with mud, but looking very cheery. "You're insane, Tugger!"

Tugger couldn't help but laugh, "What can I say? I'm the hero you all deserve."

Admetus soon joined them, then Tumble, trailed by Alonzo. "Really, Tugger? You had to upstage everyone with this too? There are better ways you know."

"Oh, I just can't resist showing off, you know that. Jump into a raging river, take a nosedive off a waterfall, the usual."

"WHERE IS HE!? Where is the no good, idiotic, son of a pollicle!?"

All the Toms scattered as Munkustrap was suddenly there, fangs bared, fur puffy, despite being soaked with rain. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, Straps."

"Uh, Munk..." Alonzo tried to interject, but the Guardian was suddenly in Tugger's face, inches away, letting out the most vicious snarling hiss any of them had ever heard, his back arched and his claws out.

It made everyone back away in fear at the sudden, harsh anger from Munkustrap. Tugger, however, didn't even flinch, he actually looked rather bored. "Don't you ever, EVER, do that again! Or I'll kill you myself!"

Tugger grinned at him, putting his paw on Munkustrap's head, "Aw, Straps, I knew you cared about little old me."

His fur deflated, he relaxed, unable to force himself to remain angry. Munkustrap let out a shuddering sigh, resting his forehead against Tugger's. "You idiot..."

"I love you too. Now can we go home? Plato needs some tender Jenny loving care, and I need to dry off, I'm freezing my bollocks off."

***

Plato felt like he was floating, his heart fluttering softly in his chest. He remembered brief flashes, raging water, arms around him, falling, then… nothing. Was he…dead? Was this the Heaviside Layer? It felt warm, soft. His eyes twitched and slowly opened.

A warm fire was crackling in front of him, casting a soft glow on the walls. He shifted, finding himself covered head to toe in warm blankets, laying on a soft, feather pillow. He heard the gentle pitter patter of feet, and suddenly his view of the fire was blocked. “Oh my dear, you’re awake. Thank goodness.”

He knew that matronly voice. He looked up from his bed, blinking his eyes wearily. “...Jenny?”

The motherly, older Queen smiled brightly, pulling the blankets down from his shoulders. “How are you feeling, Plato? Come, sit up, love.”

She put her paws on his shoulders, guiding him up. It hit him then, just how sore he was, and the wheeze in his chest, drawing a wet, fitful cough from him. Jenny tutted softly, “Oh poor dear, let me make you some herbal tea, it'll clear that right up.”

She pattered away, grabbing a teapot as she went. Plato's shoulders hunched, remembering now just how he got there, what had happened, and guilt washed over him. This was his fault. All his fault. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Why couldn’t he just listen? He sank down further into the blankets, covering his head with them, wishing he could just disappear. 

“Here we are.” Jenny pattered back with a steaming cup of tea for him. “Drink it slowly, give it time to work.”

“Thank you…” he took it between his paws, taking a sip of it, shuddering at the slightly bitter taste, but relishing in its warmth. “Jenny, how long was I sleeping?”

“Oh, not long, dear, a day and a half at most. Seems like you needed it.”

“Is Tugger alright..? He went over the falls with me…”

“He's fine, dear. He caught a nasty cold, running a fever, but he'll be alright.”

Plato felt his paws grip his cup even tighter, his claws unsheathing themselves. Could it be possible to feel even more guilty than he already did? “...Can I see him?”

Bless her, she was so kind. She rubbed at his ears, guiding his paws up with the cup to his mouth. “Finish your tea and we will, then it’s back to bed with you for another few nights.”

Tugger had chosen to stay in his own den, refusing to be cooped up where sick kittens lay. Jenny brought another batch of herbal tea as they made their way over. The rain had stopped, thankfully, the storm having finally passed over. The sound of thunder could be heard rumbling off in the distance.

Jenny knocked twice on the wall of Tugger's den, an upturned armoire filled to the brim with cozy pillows and blankets. "Who is it?"

That wasn't Tugger, Plato noted. "Quaxo darling! I brought tea!"

"Aw, Jenny, you shouldn't have!" The young tuxedo Tom poked his head out of the armoire, looking surprised at her company. "Plato..! You're up!"

He scrambled out of the den, Plato looking quite embarrassed as he was barreled into and given an affectionate nuzzle, his arms carefully encircling the little Tom. "Tugger told me what happened, how are you feeling?"

"Like I have marbles in my chest... pretty bruised up and sore, but I'm...I'm alive." He tried to keep the guilt out of his voice, to force a smile, but he could see the Tux's ears twitch. He knew... "Come inside. We could use some company!"

They all headed into the den, and Plato flinched at the wet, harsh cough that met his ears. "Tugger, Jenny's here! She brought tea."

"Yum, Jenny's tea, the bitter with the dirt taste." Tugger coughed again, his normally wonderfully smooth and suave voice now hoarse and raspy. 

Jenny huffed, her fur bristling. "Rum Tum Tugger! You will mind your manners, especially when you have guests in your own den!"

"Guests. Yay." He sounded thoroughly miserable, resting against a large pillow in the back of his den. He turned to face them when they came in, and he immediately perked when he saw who it was. "Plato! Look at you, up and about already."

"Hey Tugger..." He was wringing his paws, wishing he had just a bit of Quaxo's ability to vanish into thin air. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know, got a fever, a cough you can hear from the other side of the junkyard, and I can't woo Mistoffelees here with my impeccable singing skills," Quaxo snorted at him, giving his arm a pap with his paw, "I'm doing alright otherwise." He was studying Plato, watching the young Tom's nervousness, "And you?"

"M-Me?"

"You doing alright?" He took the cup Jenny offered him, suddenly sounding serious. "You almost drowned."

Plato swallowed, his hands trembling. "So did you."

"Plato-"

"Why did you jump in after me!?" He suddenly burst out, letting out the emotion he had been trying to bottle up. "You could have died! At least if I died, no one would have cared, but the Jellicles care about you!"

Plato jumped as Tugger suddenly snarled at him, the look in his eyes like pure venom. The larger cat stood himself up, stumbling toward him. 

"Tugger!" Quaxo put his paw on him, but was batted away as Tugger shoved Plato against the wall, getting in his face "Don't you ever, EVER, say that no one cares!"

Plato pressed back into the wall, cowering under Tugger's growls, he sounded even more menacing with his broken voice and wheezing breath. "I... I, ah..."

"We cared enough to bring you into the tribe when you were abandoned! We cared enough to raise you as an equal, a brother! Alonzo cared enough to grab you as you fell down the hole. Straps cared enough to chase after you and try to save your life! And I cared enough to jump into a raging river after you! So don't you DARE say we don't care about you!"

Jenny and Quaxo had fallen silent. Plato hunched his shoulders, lowering his head as he started to whimper. "...m'sorry..."

"You might not think much of yourself, but we think the world of you. I wouldn't have jumped in after you if I didn't. Now make it up to me. Help me back to bed, I have a fever." He put his arm around Plato's shoulders, leaning on him as he was lead back to his blankets, Quaxo moving to his other side to help him down. "You are terrible at giving pep talks, Tugs."

"I'm terrible at everything. Plato, I'm serious though... I chose to jump in after you, and I would do it again, whether it was you, Straps, Misto, or the Great Rumpus Cat." He poked his forehead with a claw, Plato giving him a small, grateful smile. "Go get some rest, Everlasting Cat knows I need it too."

"Thanks, Tugger... really. For saving me." He gave Plato a salute and groaned as he relaxed back into the pillows, Jenny leaving the tea and quietly leading Plato back to her den.

It took a few days more, but eventually Plato had been given a clean bill of health from Jenny and sent back into the yard.

But it didn't feel the same, tensions were still high, especially amongst the youngsters, and Plato could feel the glares of his fellow kittens, especially from the Queens on him whenever he traveled about. With Tugger sick in bed, they needed someone to blame, and their ire was directed at him. He had done his best to avoid them, but it was simply inevitable before they cornered him in a secluded area of the yard. “You don’t have any lick of remorse, don’t you!? Tugger could be dying! And you’re here prancing about like you did nothing wrong!” Etcetera screamed at him.

Plato had backed himself into a pile of old clothes, shrinking in on himself, wringing his paws together. “It… it was an accident. I swear, I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“Yeah right! You've always been jealous! Tugger would never even give you the time of day! You need to be taught a lesson!”

"Enough!” With a loud thump, Munkustrap dropped down onto a discarded nightstand to their left, his hackles were raised, eyes narrowed. He must have been walking patrol when he came across them. "I will NOT tolerate fighting within my Junkyard, is that understood!?"

They all coiled in on themselves, some of them trying to scramble away, but Munkustrap's sharp snap kept them in place. “I will not hear another word about the river incident. It's over, it’s done, and if I hear any of you bring it up to Plato or anyone again, you will feel my claws on your ears, do I make myself clear?”

“But Tugger-“

“Has a cold, due to his brash decision to leap into the river, on his own accord. Now SCATTER!”

All of the kittens took off running, leaping over each other in their haste. Plato tried to slip away, his shoulders hunched. “Not you.”

The young Tom froze, tucking his tail between his legs. The Guardian's tone had instantly changed, from sharp and stern to gentle and compassionate, but the kit still felt wary. “Plato, will you walk with me?”

He nodded stiffly, slowly moving off with the Guardian, Munkustrap walking slightly ahead. “I apologize for my outburst. How are you feeling? Besides the obvious, of course.”

Plato looked up at the silver Tom's back, almost marveling at how he could instantly change from stern disciplinarian to caring protector, he swallowed hard as he wrung his paws again. “I’m…I'm alright… I'm not coughing anymore… How's Tugger..? A-And Alonzo..? I heard he got hurt too, when he caught me going down the hole.”

“Both are doing well, it's kind of you to ask. Alonzo is back on his patrol routes and Tugger is, well, Tugger. Complaining to everyone that will listen about his fever, but I hear it has gone down, and his cough has eased. He'll be back terrorizing the Junkyard soon.”

Plato let out a sigh of relief. Even if Tugger had given him a pep talk when he saw him last, he still thought the older Tom had been cross with him. Hell, he was cross with himself enough for everyone. To hear he was doing better was a weight off his shoulders. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to you fully about what happened, though I got the gist of it from Alonzo. What is your side of the story?"

Plato swallowed hard. "I...I don't have any excuses... Alonzo told me you ordered us all to move to higher ground, but I...I didn't listen. I wanted to finish my tunnel first."

"Why is that? What was so important that you would endanger yourself like that?"

"Jenny's den was on the other side of the heap. I know some of the Queens, Cassandra, Bomba, they were sleeping there, sick like Tugger is now... I didn't... I didn't want anything to happen to them."

Munkustrap looked back at him, his eyes soft, but full of deep thought. Plato felt like they were boring into him. "I see...well then, that answers a lot of my questions. I want you to know that you are not in any trouble.”

He paused, giving an incredulous look to the Guardian. “How can I not be..? Alonzo told me to go to higher ground, he ordered me to, and I disobeyed. If I had just listened, we wouldn’t have been swept up in the flood, I wouldn’t have gone into the hole… Tugger wouldn’t have had to jump in after me in the river…”

“A series of unfortunate accidents, Plato, none of it malicious. Your heart was in the right place.” He stopped then, they were completely alone now. “I actually want to commend you, if not chastise you, just a smidge.” He turned to Plato, his stance relaxing, a small smile on his face, “What you did was honorable, you only had the best interests of the tribe in mind, but you put yourself in danger by doing so, and as a result others as well. A brave warrior may valiantly throw himself in the way of a flying arrow, but a wise warrior knows to pull the innocent out of the way of it’s trajectory.”

Plato stared at him with wide eyes, “Did someone teach you that..? When you were training to be the Guardian?”

Munkustrap looked a tad embarrassed, if not full of pride. “Old Deuteronomy taught me this, because, Plato, I was very much like you in my kittenhood. I was the one that would throw myself before the arrows to protect my tribe, constantly putting myself in danger, thinking that it was in all of our best interest, but it took a moment, a single moment, for me to realize that I didn’t need to put myself in harm's way baselessly.”

Plato was enraptured, sitting down on a discarded bucket, “What happened?”

“Macavity happened. Ah, before you say anything, this was long before he had turned to a life of misery and crime, back when he still had honor, integrity. Before you and the other kittens were born we went to war with a rival tribe. A claw that was meant for my throat split open Macavity's instead, he nearly died, protecting me. It was needless, I could have easily overpowered the rival cat, but he still took no thought of himself that day, and only thought of protecting his fellow tribe mate, and it nearly cost him his life.”

“Wow… I didn’t know that he had been anything other than… you know.” He was hesitant to say, but he knew Munkustrap understood.

“It was a long time ago, when I was coming into my first years, and it taught me an important lesson, just as this experience will teach you. Trust your tribe mates, listen to them, let them supplement your judgement, it’s invaluable and may save your life one day. But also, don’t hesitate to listen to your own conscience, weigh them both equally, and make a decision based on what’s most wise."

Plato nodded, eagerly taking in the lesson. "Looking back on it now, I do think I should have listened. Even if didn't finish digging, I broke through enough to drain some of the water. Jenny's den would have been okay. Besides, if I hadn't left that tunnel, when that waterfall came down... I... I could have drowned."

"It's very insightful of you to recognize that after the fact. We learn from our mistakes, grow from them, and we'll make better decisions in the future." He gave him a warm smile. "You're growing into a fine Tom, Plato, a fine warrior. Who knows, when it comes time for me to step down, it may be you taking mine or my successors place someday."

Plato was absolutely beaming, all traces of guilt and shame just melting away. “Thank you, sir… if I may say, I'm glad, thankful, that Old Deuteronomy chose you to be our Guardian and, one day, our eventual leader. You'll be amazing at it.”

Munkustrap chuckled at him, putting a paw on his head and gently rubbing his ears. “That is kind of you to say. Run along now, if they give you any more trouble let me know, I'll sic Jenny on them.”

“Oh, Everlasting, no! She’s scarier than you!” Plato laughed, his spirits higher than they had been all week, and he took off running back into the junkyard.

Munkustrap followed discretely, watching in silence from a higher perch as Jellylorum had marched some of the kittens back up to Plato, their heads down as they apologized. The silver tabby couldn’t help but smile proudly as Plato was quick to forgive, even instigating more play.

Munkustrap mused that it would be soon that he would come to him with an offer, to finally be formally trained as one of the protectors of the tribe. He would definitely be good at it...


End file.
